Breakdown of Asuimme Saksassa vaihto-opiskelijoina.
asua
to live
Saksa
Germany
vaihto-opiskelija
exchange student
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Questions & Answers about Asuimme Saksassa vaihto-opiskelijoina.
Why does the final -a in opiskelija change to -o- in vaihto-opiskelijoina?
When forming the plural stem for words ending in -ija/-ijä (like opiskelija), the final vowel changes to -o- (or -ö-) before the plural marker -i-. After getting the plural stem opiskelijoi-, we just add the essive ending -na.
Why do we use the essive case (-na) here to mean "as exchange students"?
The essive case expresses a temporary state, condition, or role. Because being an exchange student is a temporary role they held while living in Germany, the essive plural vaihto-opiskelijoina is the perfect fit.
If I wanted to say "we became exchange students" in Germany, would I still use the essive?
No. If the state is the result of a change, you need the translative case (-ksi). You would say Tulimme vaihto-opiskelijoiksi. The essive is strictly for being in a state, not entering it.
Does vaihto-opiskelijoina use the strong or weak consonant grade?
The essive case always uses the strong consonant grade. However, the base word opiskelija doesn't contain any consonants that undergo gradation (like k, p, or t) in the relevant syllables, so the stem doesn't visibly change for consonant gradation here.
In the compound word , why doesn't the word get the essive plural ending too?